I have a book at home titled �Battlefield Analysis of Infantry Weapons� compiled by Army officers during the Korean War. It is based on multiple after action interviews with front line troops about how they actually used their weapons and the effectiveness of each weapon. It covers everything from the .45 and hand grenades up to bazookas. It has a section on the carbine, I�ll have re-read it and see what it ways.
One thing I remember is that the majority of troops did not engage targets much beyond 200 yards even with their .30-06 Garands. They just didn�t think they�d hit much beyond that range and it was a waste of precious ammo to try. That makes me think the question of whether a .30 carbine could penetrate a heavy coat at 300 yards seem a bit moot. I'm sure someone will come up with a story of an exceptional rifleman shooting Chinese past 500 yards but the book covers the actions of the majority of GI's, not the exceptional individuals.
Another thing interesting while I�m thinking about this is that in Korea the BAR was actually the Queen of Battle, not the Garand. Men would hunker down at the start of a firefight and not fire their weapons until the BAR man opened up, then individual riflemen would begin firing from the area of the BAR fire spreading outward. Don�t know how that goes today since everyone has an automatic weapon but it is in interesting insight into how firepower more than accurate individual rounds inspires confidence.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery. Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
